Detachable bucket tooth



Jan.29,1946'; I J.W. FAG: 2,393,706

DETACHABLE BUCKET TOOTH -Filed June 7, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l n-29, 946. J; w. PAGE. 2,393,706.

DETACI-IABLE BUCKET TOOTH Filed June 7, 1944 I {Sheets-Sheet 2 ---r i.z @M%%%w Patented Jan. 29, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETACHABLE BUCKET TOOTH John w. Page, Chicago, 111. Application June 7, 1944, Serial No. 539,071

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in detachable bucket teeth and more particularly to improved holding means for a detachable tooth or tooth point for use in connection with excavating buckets, shovels andthe like.

The invention here disclosed and claimed may be practiced, for example, in connection with a drag-lin bucket, known in the art as a Page bucket. One such bucket is illustrated and described in my Reissue Patent No. 21,664, which issued December 17, 1940. The forward edge of the bottom of a bucket of this type, ordinarily termed the lip or cutting edge of the bucket, is provided with teeth adapted to bite into the material to be excavated;

Such teeth are subjected to extremely hard usage, as will be apparent when it is realized that large drag-line buckets are now made with a capacity of 25 cubic yards, normally pickin up about 38 tons and weighing about the same themselves. The shock and wear incident to operation of a bucket causes considerable wear and breakage of the teeth, despite the fact that they are of special alloy steel and that a tooth alone may weigh as much as one hundred pounds. For that reason I have for some time provided the cutting edge of the bucket with removable teeth or teeth points, or both. While I am here showing the invention as applied to a removable tooth, it will be understood that it is equally applicable to a removable tooth point, and the terms detachable tooth and tooth are used herein in a manner intended to include either a complete detachable tooth which may or may not have a detachable tooth point, or a detachable tooth point.

The present invention is directed to holding means or attaching means for holding a tooth firmly in operative position. I provide a socket in the supporting member (which may be on the cutting edge of the bucket, or a part of the main body portion of the tooth where the holding means is used in connection with a detachable tooth point), and the tooth is provided with a shank adapted to enter this socket, the shank terminating in two spaced tongues. Means are provided for simultaneously drawing the shank into the socket and spreading the tongues so that they will firmly hold in place therein. Holding means of this general type is illustrated and described, both in connection with complete teeth and with teeth points, in my Patent 2,311,463, which issued February 16, 1943. The present invention comprises an improvement in holding meansof the type there shown.

One feature of this invention is the provision of improved holding means for detachable teeth of excavating apparatus; another feature of this invention is the provision of means preventing rotation of the bolt forming part of the holding means when the nut, is being rotated thereon during assembly or removal of the tooth; yet another feature is the provision of an elliptical tooth shank and cooperating socket; and still another feature of this invention is the provision of tongues less subject to breakage or springing. Other features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following specification and the drawings, in which:

Figure lis a fragmentary top plan view of the cutting edge of a bucket, showing a supporting member and a tooth held therein; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a. sectional view, longitudinal of the tooth and socket, along the line 3-'3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a sectional View, at right angles to the view of Figure 3, along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a side elevational View of the tooth alone; Figure 6 is an end view of the tooth shown in Figure 5, looking from the right of such figure; Figure 7 is a top plan view of the tooth with one of the tongues broken away; and Figure 8 is a view in perspective of the bolt.

In the particular embodiment of my invention illustrated here, the cutting edge [8 of a bucket is shown a provided with a tooth support I] hav- .ing therein an enclosed socket Ila of generally elliptical shape, opening at its rear into an open recess ill). The support is also provided with two spaced shouldered and tapered lugs He and 1 Id projecting forwardly at each side of the front opening of the socket I la. These lugs are shaped to conform closely to the particular shape of the back end of the body of the tooth, as can be seen in the drawings.

The detachable tooth is indicated in general by the numerals l2 and maybe best seen in Figures 5-7. The tooth is provided with a cutting edge or point 12a on its main body portion; a central vertical web I2 2) (so termed because it normally lies in a vertical plane in use) adapted to fit be tween the lugs He and lid on the support; and upper and lower diverging, laterally projecting flanges I20 and l2d. The web I21) and flanges 12c and IM are adapted to interfit closely with the lugs H0 and l Id of the support, the ,interiitting faces being tapered as shown so that when the tooth is pulled up ti ly in its support he faces will make a tight wedging fit preventing any play in the tooth in use.

' section to conform to the generally elliptical shape of the socket. The term elliptical? is being used here to describe any regular shape without rightangle corners or'other sharp changes in direction, and longer in one diameter than another at right angles thereto. Examples of such shapes are true geometrical ellipses, ovals, and shapes having straight sides and semi-circular ends, as

the conventional race track. Any elliptical shape I of the kind ,mentioned has proved particularly advantageous in maintaining teeth in proper relation to the cutting edge of a bucket.

The inner ends of these tongues (so termed be- 7 cause they go furthest into the socket Ha) are somewhat widened or thickened at their ends and the confronting surfaces of these thickened por tions are provided with beveled shoulders here identified as l3a and Ma. The tongues are provided'on one side only with vertical webs or portions identified as I31) and Nb, in the same plane and approaching each other, the adjacent edges of these webs defining a slot here identified as l5. The other sidesof the tongues'l3 and M are not provided with corresponding webs, but are instead substantially spaced apart, as may be best seen in Figure 6, to provide an opening enabling the head of a bolt to be slipped into the. socket back of the shoulders H11 and Ma. 7

The bolt is best shown in Figure 8, being here identified in general as I6. It comprises a threaded body portion l6a adapted to have the nut l1 threaded thereon; and a head having approximately semi-circular beveled surfaces lBb and I60 adaptedto engage the correspondingly beveled shoulders l3a. and Ma on the tongues, the head also being provided with oppositely extending wing or lug parts lBd and we;

When a tooth is to be placed in the supporting memberthe bolt I6 is slipped in between the tongues I3 and I4, with'the beveled surfaces I61) and H50 of its head adjacent the shoulders Ba and Ma and with one of the lug parts in the slot l5, as may be best seen in Figure 4. The tooth is then slipped into position in the supporting member, with the tongues in the socket Ila and the'web and flanges interfitting with the lugs I I0 and lid. A pressure plate I8 is then'slipped into place over the bolt l6 and bearing against appropriate shoulders at the inner end of the recess I lb. This is preferably followed by a lock washer I9, and then the nut I1 is threaded on the bolt. As this nut is drawn up tight the bolt' head wedges the ends of the tongues 13 and I4.

slightly apart, spreading or separating" the inner ends of these tongues to cause them to make tight engagement with the slightly diverging surfaces of the socket I la, as may behest seen in Figure 3. Longitudinal movement of the bolt is per- I mitted during this tightening operation, since the lug lBd is free to move longitudinally in the slot l5; but rotation of the bolt is prevented by the cooperation between the lug and slot. Moreover, the lug parts are made of such a length that they just extend from one wall of the socket to the other, as may be best seen in Figure 4, so that the bolt is maintained properly centered and the lug 16d cannot slip out of the slot l5.

The holding arrangement shown in my prior Patent 2,311,463 has proved very satisfactory from a standpoint of holdingthe tooth in operative position during working, but after some period of use has sometimes proved very difiicult to remove the nut in order to take out the shank part of a broken tooth and replace it with a new tooth. Because-the tongues are-received within a socket, it is impossible to get at the head of a, bolt, to hold it against rotation, when the tooth is in place; and rust and dirt may cause the nut to stick so tightly on the bolt that the whole bolt rotates when it is desired to remove the nut.

The bolts can," of course, be held in place by wedges during removal of the nut, or the bolt can be chiseled off, but both of these are laborious andtime consuming, and undesirable in the field. The present arrangement here being described and claimed provides a considerable improvement in that it enables thenuts to be'easily and conveniently removed in the field when it is necessary to replace a tooth. Moreover, the provision of the webs at one side'of the tongues, and the curved shape of the tongues in cross section, provide improved operation and'reduce breakage and springing of the tongues, r Y

'While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is tobe understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

Iclaim: I r 1. In excavating apparatus provided with a tooth support having a socket therein: a detachable tooth with two spaced tongues adapted to enter said socket, said tongues having a laterally extendingslottherebetween formed with a constriction at one side edge of the tongues, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with beveled shoulders on their inner faces; wedging means adapted to engage said beveled shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket and spread the same to tightly engage the inner faces of said socket, said wedging means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the beveled shoulders of the tongues; and means in the constricted portion of the slot for preventing rotation of said bolt.

2.'In excavating apparatus provided with a tooth support having a socket therein: a detachable tooth with two spaced tongues adapted to enter said socket, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with beveled shoulders on their inner facesywedging means adapted to engage said. beveled shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket and spread the same tightly to engage the inner faces of said'socket, said wedging means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the beveled shoulders of the tongues;

and means for preventing rotation of said bolt, this means including a lug part on the head of said bolt and a slot in the tooth receiving said lug part, said slot being of a size smaller than the head at one side and large enoughto receive 3. In excavating apparatus provided with a tooth support having a socket therein: a detachable tooth with two spaced tongues adapted to enter said socket, the inner endsof said tongues being thickened and provided with beveled shoulders on their inner faces and the sides of said tongues approaching each other on one side to provide a relatively narrow slot; and wedging means adapted to engage said beveled shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket and spread the same tightly to engage the inner faces of said socket, said wedging means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the beveled shoulders of the tongues and a lug part received in said slot for preventing rotation of said bolt.

4. In excavating apparatus provided with a tooth support having a socket therein: a detachable tooth with two spaced tongues adapted to enter said socket, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with beveled shoulders on their inner faces and the sides of said tongues being provided on one side with Webs approaching each other to provide a relatively narrow slot; and wedging means adapted to engage said beveled shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket and spread the same tightly to engage the inner faces of said socket, said wedging means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the beveled shoulders of the tongues and a lug part received in said slot for preventing rotation of said bolt.

5. In excavating apparatus provided with a tooth support having a socket therein: a detachable tooth with two spaced tongues adapted to enter said socket, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with beveled shoulders on their inner faces and the sides of said tongues being provided on one side with webs approaching each other to provide a relatively narrow slot; and wedging means adapted to engage said beveled shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket and spread the same tightly to engage the inner faces of said socket, said wedging means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the beveled shoulders of the tongues and oppositely extending lug parts, one of said lug parts being adapted to be received by said slot and the other lug part being adapted to abut the wall of the socket to maintain the bolt centered.

6. In excavating apparatus provided with a toothed support having a socket therein: a detachable tooth with two spaced tongues adapted to enter said socket, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with shoulders on their inner faces; holding means adapted to engage said shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket, said holding means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the shoulders of the tongues; and means for preventing rotation of said bolt, said last mentioned means including a slot of laterally varying thickness between the tongues and a projection in the head extending into the smaller part of the slot.

'7. In excavating apparatus provided with a tooth support having a socket therein: a detachable tooth with two spaced tongues adapted to enter said socket, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with shoulders on their inner faces and the sides of said tongues being provided on one side with webs approaching each other to provide a relatively narrow slot; and holding means adapted to engage said shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket, said holding means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the shoulders of the tongues and oppositely extending lug parts, one of said lug parts being adapted to be received by said slot and the other lug part being adapted to abut the wall of the socket to maintain the bolt centered.

8. In excavating apparatus: a tooth support having an elliptical socket therein; a detachable tooth with an elliptical shank received within said socket, said shank having a laterally extending slot of larger opening at one side of the shank than at the other; and holding means adapted to hold said shank in said socket.

9. In excavating apparatus: a tooth support having an elliptical socket therein; a detachable tooth with an elliptical shank received within said socket, said shank terminating in two spaced tongues, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with shoulders on their inner faces; holding means adapted to engage said shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket, said holding means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the shoulders of the tongues; and means for preventing rotation of said bolt the last mentioned means including a slot of laterall varying thickness in the shank, and a proj'ection on the bolt head extending into the smaller portion of the slot.

10. In excavating apparatus: a tooth support having an elliptical socket therein; a detachable tooth with an elliptical shank received within said socket, said shank terminating in two spaced tongues, the inner ends of said tongues being thickened and provided with shoulders on their inner faces and the sides of said tongues being provided on one side with webs approaching each other to provide a relatively narrow slot; and holding means adapted to engage said shoulders to draw said tongues into said socket, said holding means including a bolt carried by the support, said bolt having a head with a part engaging the shoulders of the tongues and oppositely extending lug parts, one of said lug parts being adapted to be received by said slot and the other lug part being adapted to abut the wall of the socket to maintain the bolt centered.

JOHN W. PAGE. 

